Variable actuators of an accessory and methods thereof

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, a processor that performs operations including receiving an actuation profile comprising one or more actuation thresholds responsive to a detection of a triggering event during a gaming session of a video game, configuring the sensor according to the one or more actuation thresholds, receiving, from the sensor, a signal indicating a depression range of the button, comparing the depression range to the one or more actuation thresholds of the actuation profile, and generating an actuation state when the depression range exceeds an actuation threshold of the one or more actuation thresholds. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/192,852, filed Nov. 16, 2018, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/005,913, filed Jun. 12, 2018, (now U.S.Pat. No. 10,328,341), which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/303,784, filed Jun. 13, 2014, (now U.S. Pat. No.10,022,622), which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/982,081, filed Apr. 21, 2014. All sections of theaforementioned patents and applications are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to variable actuators of anaccessory and methods thereof.

BACKGROUND

It is common today for gamers to utilize more than one gaming accessory.This is especially true of gamers who play on-line games or competitivegames in a team or individual configuration. Gamers can have at theirdisposal accessories such as a keyboard, a general-purpose gaming pad, amouse, a gaming console controller, a headset to communicate with otherplayers, a joystick, a computer console, or other common gamingaccessories.

A gamer can frequently use a combination of these accessories in asingle game (e.g., headset, a keyboard, and mouse). Efficient managementand utilization of these accessories can frequently impact a gamer'sability to compete.

Accessory management can have utility in other disciplines which may notrelate to gaming applications. Efficient use of accessories in theseother disciplines can be important to other users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a Graphical User Interface(GUI) generated by an Accessory Management Software (AMS) applicationaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A depicts an illustrative embodiment for communicatively couplinga gaming controller to a computing device;

FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative embodiment for communicatively couplinga gaming controller to a computing device;

FIG. 3A depicts an illustrative embodiment for a variable actuatordevice utilizing a magnet proximity sensor;

FIG. 3B depicts an illustrative embodiment for utilizing the variableactuator device of FIG. 3B in a keyboard communicatively coupled to acomputing device;

FIG. 3C depicts an illustrative embodiment for tracking a depressionrange of the variable actuator device of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first method utilized inthe subject disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a second method utilized inthe subject disclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a third method utilized inthe subject disclosure;

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system operating at leastin part according to the methods of FIGS. 5-7;

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication flowdiagram utilized by the system of FIG. 12;

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a fourth method utilizedin the subject disclosure; and

FIG. 11 depicts an illustrative diagrammatic representation of a machinein the form of a computer system within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for variable actuator inputs and methods of applicationtherefor. Other embodiments are described in the subject disclosure.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a method formonitoring, by a system comprising a processor, a first triggering eventduring a gaming session of a video game, responsive to detecting thefirst triggering event, selecting, by the system, a first actuationprofile comprising one or more first actuation thresholds associatedwith a button of an accessory device, wherein the first actuationprofile is selected according to the first triggering event,associating, by the system, the first actuation profile with the buttonof the accessory device, receiving, by the system, a first signal froman electro-mechanical sensor of the accessory device indicating a firstdepression range of the button, comparing, by the system, the firstdepression range to the one or more first actuation thresholds of thefirst actuation profile, and generating, by the system, a firstactuation state when the first depression range exceeds a firstactuation threshold of the one or more first actuation thresholds.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a machine-readablestorage device having instructions stored therein, which when executedby a processor cause the processor to perform operations. The operationscan include monitoring, by a system comprising a processor, a triggeringevent during a gaming session of a video game, responsive to detectingthe triggering event, selecting, by the system, an actuation profilecomprising a plurality of actuation thresholds associated with aplurality of buttons of an accessory device, wherein the actuationprofile is selected according to the triggering event, associating, bythe system, the actuation profile with the plurality of buttons of theaccessory device, receiving, by the system, a plurality of signals froma plurality of sensors of the plurality of buttons of the accessorydevice indicating a plurality of depression ranges of the plurality ofbuttons, comparing, by the system, the plurality of depression ranges tothe plurality of actuation thresholds of the actuation profile, andgenerating, by the system, an actuation state when a depression range ofthe plurality of depression ranges exceeds an actuation threshold of theplurality of actuation thresholds.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes an accessory having abutton, a sensor, a memory to store instructions, and a processorcoupled to the memory and the button. Responsive to executing theinstructions, the processor can perform operations. The operations caninclude receiving an actuation profile comprising one or more actuationthresholds responsive to a detection of a triggering event during agaming session of a video game, configuring the sensor according to theone or more actuation thresholds, receiving, from the sensor, a signalindicating a depression range of the button, comparing the depressionrange to the one or more actuation thresholds of the actuation profile,and generating an actuation state when the depression range exceeds anactuation threshold of the one or more actuation thresholds.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a Graphical User Interface(GUI) generated by an Accessory Management Software (AMS) applicationaccording to the present disclosure. The AMS application can be executedby a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, atablet, a server, a mainframe computer, a gaming console, a gamingaccessory, or any combination or portions thereof. The AMS applicationcan also be executed by portable computing devices such as a cellularphone, a personal digital assistant, or a media player. The AMSapplication can be executed by any device with suitable computing andcommunication resources.

FIG. 2A illustrates a number of embodiments for utilizing a gamingcontroller 115 with a computing device 206 in the form of a gamingconsole. In the illustration of FIG. 2A, the gaming controller 115 canbe communicatively coupled to the gaming console 206 with a tetheredcable interface 202 such as a USB or proprietary cable, or a wirelessinterface 204 such as WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or a proprietary wirelesscommunications protocol. The cable interface 202 provides a means forcommunication that may be less susceptible to electromagneticinterference. It will be appreciated that the gaming controller 115 mayfurther include a headset 114 (with or without a microphone not shown)utilized by a gamer to communicate with teammates and/or to listen togame sounds in high fidelity. In the illustration of FIG. 2A, the AMSapplication can in whole or in part be executed by the gaming controller115, the gaming console 206, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 2B illustrates a number of other embodiments for utilizing a gamingcontroller 115 with a computing device 206. In this embodiment, thegaming controller 115 comprises a mouse and the computing device 206comprises a computer. The gaming controller 115 can be tethered to thecomputing device 206 by a cable interface 202 (e.g., USB cable orproprietary cable) or a wireless interface 204. The cable interface 202provides a means for communication that may be less susceptible toelectromagnetic interference. It will be appreciated that the gamingcontroller 115 may further include a headset (with or without amicrophone not shown) utilized by a gamer to communicate with teammatesand/or to listen to game sounds in high fidelity. In the illustration ofFIG. 2B, the AMS application can in whole or in part be executed by thegaming controller 115, the gaming console 206, or a combination thereof.

For illustration purposes, the terms gaming console 206 and computer 206will be used hence forth interchangeably with the term computing device206 with an understanding that a computing device 206 may represent anumber of other devices such as a server, a tablet, a smart phone, andso on. Accordingly, a computing device 206 can represent any device withsuitable computing resources to perform the methods described in thesubject disclosure.

Typically, accessories with input buttons of variable shapes and sizes(e.g., button on a keyboard) work by attaching electronic switchesconnected in a matrix to a microprocessor that in turn reads the matrixand determines which switches are open and which are closed. Theswitches can come in a few different versions, the most common being asimple printed circuit board (PCB) that is configured to detect a buttondepression when a piece of conductive material of a switch mechanismmakes contact with a contact pad of the PCB (e.g., rubber dome, membraneswitches). Other implementations can include traditional mechanicalelectronic switches with copper blades that make contact when the switchis depressed.

Common with these switching technologies is that they are configured tohave a fixed actuation point (AP) and a fixed reset point (RP). Anactuation point can represent a switch transitioning from an open toclosed position, and a reset point can represent the switchtransitioning from a closed to open position. For rubber membraneactuation buttons, the AP occurs when the button is fully depressed, andthe conductive material touches a contact point on a PCB, and likewisethe RP occurs when the conductive material no longer makes contact withthe contact point of the PCB. For mechanical type switches the AP can beconfigured at a location in the displacement range of the switch that isless than the full displacement range. As might be expected, the RP liesabove their AP. Typically, the AP on a mechanical switch is about 2 mm,and the RP is around 1.6 mm. The foregoing embodiments illustrate thatthe above actuation and reset configurations effectively have actuationand reset points that provide binary stimuli (ON/OFF) to a computingdevice.

FIG. 3A depicts an illustrative embodiment for a variable actuatordevice 300 utilizing a magnet proximity sensor 302. The variableactuator device 300 does not use a traditional switch like a rubbermembrane with conductive material or a mechanical switch that makes orbreaks contact. Instead, the variable actuator device 300 can beconstructed with a magnet proximity sensor 302, such as a Hall Effectsensor. The Hall Effect sensor can measure a strength of a magneticfield generated by a magnet 306 in proximity to the magnetic proximitysensor 302. The magnetic proximity sensor 302 outputs a voltage levelthat corresponds to the strength of the magnetic field it senses fromthe magnet 306 as a spring-loaded button 304 holding the magnet 306 isdepressed. A computing device 310 such as shown in FIG. 3B can becoupled to a keyboard 312 with all or some of its buttons utilizing thevariable actuator device 300 of FIG. 3A. The signals 308 generated bymultiple magnetic proximity sensors 302 can be can be processed bycircuitry (e.g., analog to digital converter, etc.) of the keyboard 312to convey to the computing device 310 which buttons have been depressedand the extent of the depression (X %). The information transmitted tothe computing device 310 can be analog or digital signals representingthe signal level provided by any particular magnetic proximity sensor302 of the keyboard 312.

FIG. 3C depicts an illustrative embodiment for tracking a depressionrange of the variable actuator device 300 of FIG. 3A. The hash portion320 can reflect the extent of depression, which the computing device 310can determine from the signals received from the keyboard 312. Thedisplacement range of a button depression can be tracked by thecomputing device 310 by translating the signal level of a specificbutton to a distance of travel. The computing device 310 can beconfigured, for example, to know a priori the full possible distance oftravel of a button of the keyboard 312, how to translate a signal levelfrom the magnetic proximity sensor 302 into a displacement distance(e.g., 1 mm of travel for each mV of signal level), and therebydetermine a degree of displacement of the button (e.g., 20%, 22%, 40%,etc.) relative to the full travel distance.

By having the ability to determine a travel distance of the button ofthe keyboard 312, the computing device 310 can be configured to enable auser to define programmable thresholds for the actuation point (AP)and/or reset point (RP). For example, the computing device 310 can beconfigured by a user to set in one instance the AP at 60% and the RP at75% of release. The computing device 310 can also be configured by auser to set multiple AP thresholds and multiple RP thresholds for asingle button or multiple buttons, each threshold representing differentactuation and reset states. The computing device 310 can be furtherconfigured by a user to utilize the AMS application as will be explainedbelow to replace stimuli generated by the magnetic proximity sensor 302with substitute stimuli supplied to software applications (e.g., a videogame), to invoke a software application when an actuation state isdetected, and/or perform other functions as will be described below.

It is noted that Hall Effect sensors are not necessarily the only optionfor measuring a depression level of variable actuator devices 300. Othersuitable technologies that can perform a displacement measurement (e.g.,inductive and capacitive sensors) can be used. It is further noted thatthe functions described above that can be performed by the computingdevice 310 can be delegated to a processor of the keyboard 312. Hence, asmart keyboard 312 can be adapted by a user to have programmablethresholds for AP and RP and to perform substitution functions of theAMS application as will be described below.

It is further noted that other accessories (e.g., mouse, gamingcontroller, joystick, smartphone with tactile keypad, navigation disk ofa mobile device, etc.) can utilize the variable actuator device 300 ofFIG. 3A. For example, the buttons of a mouse can be configured withvariable actuator devices as described by the subject disclosure. Any ofthe buttons on a gaming controller (such as reference 115) of FIG. 2Acan be configured with variable actuator devices as described by thesubject disclosure. In sum, any device which can make use of a variableinput function can utilize the variable actuator devices described bythe subject disclosure. Any of the accessory devices described in thesubject disclosure can also be adapted to utilize the variable actuatordevice 300 of FIG. 3A or a suitable substitute that performs a similarfunction.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication device 400 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of devices described in the subject disclosure.The communication device 400 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a user interface (UI) 404, apower supply 414, a proximity sensor 416, a motion sensor 418, anorientation sensor 420, and a controller 406 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 402 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi, Digital EnhancedCordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellular communicationtechnologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologies can include,for example, CDMA-1×, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX,software defined radio (SDR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), as well asother next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise.The transceiver 402 can also be adapted to support circuit-switchedwireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wirelineaccess technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinationsthereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408coupled to a navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, amouse, or a navigation disk for manipulating operations of thecommunication device 400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of ahousing assembly of the communication device 400 or an independentdevice operably coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (suchas a USB cable) or a wireless interface supporting for exampleBluetooth. The keypad 408 can represent a numeric keypad, and/or aQWERTY keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include adisplay 410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technologyfor conveying images to an end user of the communication device 400.

In an embodiment where the display 410 utilizes touch-sensitivetechnology, a portion or all of the keypad 408 can be presented by wayof the display 410 with navigation features. As a touch screen display,the communication device 400 can be adapted to present a user interfacewith graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by auser with a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 410 can beequipped with capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technologyto detect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation, stereo or surround sound system).The audio system 412 can further include a microphone for receivingaudible signals of an end user. The audio system 412 can also be usedfor voice recognition applications. The UI 404 can further include animage sensor 413 such as a charged coupled device (CCD) camera forcapturing still or moving images and performing image recognitiontherefrom.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable or rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. Alternatively, the charging systemcan utilize external power sources such as DC power supplied over aphysical interface such as a USB port or by way of a power cord attachedto a transformer that converts AC to DC power.

The proximity sensor 416 can utilize proximity sensing technology suchas an electromagnetic sensor, a capacitive sensor, an inductive sensor,an image sensor or combinations thereof. The motion sensor 418 canutilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope,or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect movement of thecommunication device 400 in three-dimensional space. The orientationsensor 420 can utilize orientation sensing technology such as amagnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device 400(North, South, West, East, combined orientations thereof in degrees,minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 400 can use the transceiver 402 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wirelessaccess points by common sensing techniques such as utilizing a receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA)or time of flight (TOF). The controller 406 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 400 as described herein can operate with moreor less components described in FIG. 4 to accommodate the implementationof devices described by the subject disclosure. These variantembodiments are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

FIGS. 5-7 depict methods 500-700 describing illustrative embodiments ofthe AMS application. Method 500 can begin with step 502 in which the AMSapplication is invoked in a computing device. The computing device canbe a remote server (not shown), the gaming console 206 or computer 206of FIGS. 2-3, or any other computing device with suitable computingresources. The invocation step can result from a user selection of theAMS application from a menu or iconic symbol presented by the computingdevice 206, or when a user communicatively couples a gaming controller115 or other form of accessory device with the computing device 206. Instep 504, the AMS application can detect by way of software drivers inan operating system (OS) of the computing device 206 a plurality ofoperationally distinct accessories communicatively coupled to thecomputing device 206. The accessories can be coupled to the computingdevice 206 by a tethered interface (e.g., USB cable), a wirelessinterface (e.g., Bluetooth or Wireless Fidelity—WiFi), or combinationsthereof.

In the present context, an accessory can represent any type of devicewhich can be communicatively coupled to the computing device 206 (orwhich can be an integral part of the computing device) and which cancontrol aspects of the OS and/or a software application operating fromthe computing device 206. An accessory can represent for example akeyboard, a touch screen display, a gaming pad, a gaming controller, amouse, a joystick, a microphone, or a headset with a microphone—just tomention a few.

In step 506, the AMS application presents a GUI 101 such as depicted inFIG. 1 depicting operationally distinct accessories such as a keyboard108, and a gaming controller 115. The GUI 101 presents the accessories108-116 in a scrollable section 117. One or more accessories can beselected by a user with a mouse pointer. In this illustration, thekeyboard 108 and the gaming controller 115 were selected forcustomization. Upon selecting the keyboard 108 and the gaming controller115 from the scrollable window of section 117, the AMS applicationpresents the keyboard 108 and the gaming controller 115 in split windows118, 120, respectively, to assist the user during the customizationprocess.

In step 508, the AMS application can be programmed to detect auser-selection of a particular software application such as a videogame. This step can be the result of the user entering in a Quick Searchfield 160 the name of a gaming application (e.g., World of Warcraft™ orWoW). Upon identifying a gaming application, the AMS application canretrieve in step 510 from a remote or local database gaming applicationactions which can be presented in a scrollable section 139 of the GUIrepresented as “Actions” 130. The actions can be tactical actions 132,communication actions 134, menu actions 136, and movement actions 138which can be used to invoke and manage features of the gamingapplication.

The actions presented descriptively in section 130 of the GUI canrepresent a sequence of accessory input functions which a user canstimulate by button depressions, navigation or speech. For example,depressing the left button on the mouse 110 can represent the tacticalaction “Reload”, while the simultaneous keyboard depressions “Ctrl A”can represent the tactical action “Melee Attack”. For ease of use, the“Actions” 130 section of the GUI is presented descriptively rather thanby a description of the input function(s) of a particular accessory.

Any one of the Actions 130 can be associated with one or more inputfunctions of the accessories being customized in windows 118 and 120 byway of a drag and drop action or other customization options. Forinstance, a user can select a “Melee Attack” by placing a mouse pointer133 over an iconic symbol associated with this action. Upon doing so,the symbol can be highlighted to indicate to the user that the icon isselectable. At this point, the user can select the icon by holding theleft mouse button and drag the symbol to any of the input functions(e.g., buttons) of the keyboard 108 or selectable options of the gamingcontroller 115 to make an association with an input function of one ofthese accessories. Actions of one accessory can also be associated withanother accessory that is of a different category. For example, keydepressions “Ctrl A” of the keyboard 108 can be associated with one ofthe buttons of the gaming controller 115 (e.g., the left button 119).

In one embodiment, a Melee Attack action can be associated by draggingthis action to either the left button 119 or right button 120 of thegaming controller 115. Thus, when the selected button is depressed, thestimulus signal that is generated by the selected button of the gamingcontroller 115 can be substituted by the AMS application with the MeleeAttack action. In another embodiment, the AMS application can beconfigured so that the Melee Action can be associated with a combinationof key button presses (e.g., simultaneous depression of the left andright buttons 119, 121, or a sequence of button depressions: two rapidleft button depressions followed by a right button depression).

In yet another embodiment, the AMS application can be configured so thatthe Melee Action can be associated with movement of the gamingcontroller 115 such as, for example, rapid movement or shaking of thegaming controller 115. In a further embodiment, the AMS application canbe adapted to make associations with two dimensional orthree-dimensional movements of the gaming controller 115 according to agaming venue state. For example, suppose the player's avatar enters afighter jet. In this gaming venue state, moving the left navigation knobforward can be associated by the AMS application with controlling thethrottle of the jet engines. Rapidly moving the gaming controller 115downward can represent release of munitions such as a bomb.

In a gaming venue state where the gamer's avatar has entered a building,lifting of the gaming controller 115 above a first displacementthreshold can be associated with a rapid movement of the avatar up onefloor. A second displacement threshold can be associated with a rapidmovement of the avatar down one floor—the opposite of the firstdisplacement threshold. Alternatively, the second displacement thresholdcould be associated with a different action such as jumping betweenbuildings when the avatar is on the roof of a building.

The AMS application can monitor gaming venue states by analyzingcaptured images produced by the gaming application (e.g., one or morestill images of a tank, or a video of an avatar entering a tank), and/orby receiving messages from the gaming application by way of anapplication programming interface (API) thereby enabling the AMSapplication to identify the occurrence of a particular gaming venuestate.

In yet another embodiment, the AMS application can be configured tocreate adaptable (programmable) AP and RP thresholds as describedearlier in relation to FIGS. 3A-3C. The AMS application can set AP andRP thresholds to any level (far apart from each other, at the samethreshold, and so on). Each AP threshold can also be associated with asubstitute stimuli (e.g., stimuli associated with a Melee Attack action,a specific key sequence such Ctrl W, and so on), initiating a softwareapplication (e.g., team chat), and other suitable substitutes. The AMSapplication can also be configured to associate an RP threshold withsubstitute stimuli. In addition, the AMS application can be configuredto track changes in gaming venues and change the AP and RP thresholds oreliminate such thresholds when a particular gaming venue is detected. Byeliminating AP and RP thresholds, the AMS application can utilize thesignals supplied by the variable actuator device 300 to perform ajoystick and/or a throttle function which can be applied to any softwareapplication such as a video game (e.g., accelerate or decelerate jetengines, helicopter engine, avatar from a crawl to a walk to a jog to asprint, and vice-versa).

Additionally, the AMS application can be configured to change thesensitivity of signals received from a variable actuator device 300,much like adjusting a DPI parameter on a mouse, or adjusting themovement speed of a mouse pointer on a computer screen. The AMSapplication can, for example, adjust the sensitivity of signals suppliedby the variable actuator device 300 so that it has a linear ornon-linear translation that may be desirable to a user. The user canalso define with the AMS application linear profiles, non-linearprofiles, or combinations thereof which can be applied to signalsreceived from the magnetic proximity sensors 302 of the variableactuator device 300 of FIG. 3A.

At step 512 the AMS application can also respond to a user selection ofa profile. A profile can be a device profile or master profile invokedby selecting GUI button 156 or 158, each of which can identify theassociation of gaming actions with input functions of one or moreaccessories. If a profile selection is detected in step 512, the AMSapplication can retrieve in step 514 macro(s) and/or prior associationsdefined by the profile. The actions and/or macros defined in the profilecan also be presented in step 516 by the AMS application in the actionscolumn 130 of the GUI 101 to modify existing profile associations orcreate new associations.

In step 518, the AMS application can also respond to a user selection tocreate a macro. A macro in the present context can mean any actionablecommand which can be recorded by the AMS application. An actionablecommand can represent a sequence of stimuli generated by manipulatinginput functions of an accessory, a combination of actions in the Actionsection 130, an identification of a software application to be initiatedby the OS of the computing device 206, or any other recordable stimulusto initiate, control or manipulate software applications. For instance,a macro can represent a user entering the identity of a softwareapplication (e.g., instant messaging tool) to be initiated by the OSupon the AMS application detecting a speech command using speechrecognition technology.

A macro can also represent recordable speech delivered by a microphonesingly or in combination with a headset for detection by anothersoftware application through speech recognition or for delivery of therecorded speech to other parties. In yet another embodiment a macro canrepresent recordable navigation of an accessory such as a joystick ofthe gaming controller 115, recordable selections of buttons of thegaming controller 115, and so on. Macros can also be combinations of theabove illustrations with selected actions from the Actions 130 menu.Macros can be created from the GUI 101 by selecting a “Record Macro”button 148. The macro can be given a name and category in user-definedfields 140 and 142.

Upon selecting the Record Macro button 148, a macro can be generated byselection of input functions on an accessory (e.g., Ctrl A, speech,navigation knob movements of the gaming controller 115, etc.) and/or bymanual entry in field 144 (e.g., typing the name and location of asoftware application to be initiated by an OS, such as an instantmessaging application, keyboard entries such as Ctrl A, etc.). Once themacro is created, it can be tested by selecting button 150 which canrepeat the sequence specified in field 144. The clone button 152 can beselected to replicate the macro sequence if desired. Fields 152 can alsopresent timing characteristics of the stimulation sequence in the macrowith the ability to modify and thereby customize the timing of one ormore stimulations in the stimulation sequence. Once the macro has beenfully defined, selection of button 154 records the macro in step 520.The recording step can be combined with a step for adding the macro tothe associable items Actions column 130, thereby providing the user themeans to associate the macro with input functions of the accessories(e.g., one or more keys of the keyboard 108, buttons of the gamingcontroller 115, etc.).

In step 522, the AMS application can respond to drag and dropassociations of actions with input functions of the keyboard 108 or thegaming controller 115. Such associations can also be associated to an AP(or RP) threshold defined by a user for a particular input function ofthe keyboard 108. Associations can also be made based on the two orthree-dimensional movements of the gaming controller 115. If user inputindicates that a user is performing an association, the AMS applicationcan proceed to step 524 where it can determine if a profile has beenidentified in step 512 to record the association(s) detected. If aprofile has been identified, the associations are recorded/stored in theprofile in step 526. If a profile has not been identified in step 512,the AMS application can create a profile in step 528 for recording thedetected associations. In the same step, the user can name the newlycreated profile as desired. The newly created profile can also beassociated with one or more gaming software applications in step 530 forfuture reference. The AMS application can also record in a profile instep 526 associations based on gaming venue states. In this embodimentthe same stimuli generated by the gaming controller 115 can result indifferent substitutions based on the gaming venue state detected by theAMS application.

Referring back to step 526, once the associations have been recorded ina profile, the AMS application can determine in step 532 which of theaccessories shown illustratively in FIGS. 1-3 are programmable andavailable for programming. If the AMS application detects that anaccessory (e.g., keyboard 108, gaming controller 115) is communicativelycoupled to the computing device 206 and determines that the accessory iscapable of performing stimulus substitutions locally, the AMSapplication can proceed to step 534 of FIG. 5 where it submits theprofile and its contents for storage in the accessory (e.g., the gamingcontroller 115 in FIGS. 2-3). Once the accessory (e.g., the gamingcontroller 115) is programmed with the profile, the accessory canperform stimuli substitutions according to the associations recorded bythe AMS application in the profile. Alternatively, the AMS applicationcan store the profile in the computing device 206 of FIGS. 2-3 andperform substitutions of stimuli supplied by the gaming controller 115according to associations recorded in the profile by the AMSapplication.

The GUI 101 of FIG. 1 presented by the AMS application can have otherfunctions. For example, the GUI 101 can present a layout of theaccessory (button 122), how the accessory is illuminated whenassociations between input functions and actions are made (button 124),and configuration options for the accessory (button 126). The AMSapplication can adapt the GUI 101 to present more than one functionalGUI page. For instance, by selecting button 102, the AMS application canadapt the GUI 101 to present a means to create macros and associateactions to accessory input functions as depicted in FIG. 1. Selectingbutton 104 can cause the AMS application to adapt the GUI 101 to presentstatistics from stimulation information and/or gaming action resultscaptured by the AMS application as described in the subject disclosure.Selecting button 106 can also cause the AMS application to adapt the GUI101 to present promotional offers and software updates.

The steps of method 500 in whole or in part can be repeated until adesirable pattern is achieved of associations between stimulus signalsgenerated by accessories and substitute stimuli. It would be apparent toan artisan with ordinary skill in the art that there can be numerousother approaches to accomplish the embodiments described by method 500or variants thereof. These undisclosed approaches are contemplated bythe subject disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts a method 600 for illustrating additional operations ofthe AMS application. In the configurations of FIGS. 2-3, the AMSapplication can be operating in whole or in part from the gamingcontroller 115, a gaming console 206, a computer 206, or a remote server(not shown). For illustration purposes, it is assumed the AMSapplication operates from the gaming console 206. Method 600 can beginwith the AMS application establishing communications in steps 602 and604 between the gaming console 206 and a gaming accessory such as thegaming controller 115, and a headset 114 such as shown in FIG. 1. Thesesteps can represent for example a user starting the AMS application fromthe gaming console 206 and/or the user inserting at a USB port of thegaming console 206 a connector of a USB cable tethered to the gamingcontroller 115, which invokes the AMS application. In step 606, thegaming controller 115 and/or headset 114 can in turn provide the AMSapplication one or more accessory ID's, or the user can provide by wayof a keyboard or the gaming controller 115 user identification. With theaccessory ID's, or user input the AMS application can identify in step608 a user account associated with the gaming controller 115 and/orheadset 114. In step 610, the AMS application can retrieve one or moreprofiles associated with the user account.

In step 612, the user can be presented by way of a display coupled tothe gaming console 206 profiles available to the user to choose from. Ifthe user makes a selection, the AMS application proceeds to step 614where it retrieves from the selected profiles the association(s) storedtherein. If a selection is not made, the AMS application can proceed tostep 616 where it can determine whether a software gaming application(e.g., video game) is operating from the gaming console 206 or whetherthe gaming console 206 is communicating with the software gamingapplication by way of a remote system communicatively coupled to thegaming console 206 (e.g., on-line gaming server(s) presenting, forexample, World of Warcraft™). If a gaming software application isdetected, the AMS application proceeds to step 617 where it retrieves aprofile that matches the gaming application detected and theassociation(s) contained in the profile. As noted earlier,association(s) can represent accessory stimulations, navigation, speech,the invocation of other software applications, macros or other suitableassociations that result in substitute stimulations. The accessorystimulations can be stimulations that are generated by the gamingcontroller 115, as well as stimulations from other accessories (e.g.,headset 114), or combinations thereof.

Once a profile and its contents have been retrieved in either of steps614 or step 617, the AMS application can proceed to step 719 of FIG. 7where it monitors for a change in a gaming venue state based on thepresentations made by the gaming application, or API messages suppliedby the gaming application. At the start of a game, for example, thegaming venue state can be determined immediately depending on the gamingoptions chosen by the gamer. The AMS application can determine thegaming venue state by tracking the gaming options chosen by a gamer,receiving an API instruction from the gaming application, or byperforming image processing on the video presentation generated by thegaming application. For example, the AMS application can detect that thegamer has directed an avatar to enter a tank. The AMS application canretrieve in step 719 associations for the gaming controller 115 forcontrolling the tank.

The AMS application can process movements of the gaming controller 115forwards, backwards, or sideways in two or three dimensions to controlthe tanks movement. The AMS application can remove AP and RP thresholdsfrom the gaming controller 115 to change the use of variable actuatordevices of the controller 115 to serve as a throttle or joystick.Similarly, rotating the gaming controller 115 or tilting the gamingcontroller 115 forward can cause an accelerometer, gyro or magnetometerof the gaming controller 115 to provide navigational data to the AMSapplication which can be substituted with an action to cause the tank toturn and/or move forward. The profile retrieved by the AMS applicationcan indicate that the greater the forward tilt of the gaming controller115, the greater the speed of the tank should be moving forward.Similarly, a rear tilt can generate navigation data that is substitutedwith a reverse motion and/or deceleration of the forward motion to stopor slow down the tank. A three-dimensional lift of the mouse can causethe tank to steer according to the three dimensional navigation dataprovided by the gaming controller 115. For example, navigation dataassociated with a combination of a forward tilt and right bank of thegaming controller 115 can be substituted by the AMS application to causean increase in forward speed of the tank with a turn to the rightdetermined by the AMS application according to a degree of banking ofthe gaming controller 115 to the right. In the above embodiment, thethree-dimensional navigation data allows a gamer to control anydirectional vector of the tank including speed, direction, accelerationand deceleration.

In another illustration, the AMS application can detect a new gamingvenue state as a result of the gamer directing the avatar to leave thetank and travel on foot. Once again, the AMS application retrieves instep 719 associations related to the gaming venue state. In thisembodiment, selection of buttons of the gaming controller 115 can beassociated by the AMS application with weaponry selection, firing,reloading and so on. Similarly, the AMS application can reinstate APand/or RP thresholds of variable actuator devices of the controller 115,which in turn can serve a different function in the new gaming venue.The movement of the gaming controller 115 in two or three dimensions canalso control the direction of the avatar and/or selection or use ofweaponry. Once the gaming venue state is detected in step 719, the AMSapplication retrieves the associations related to the venue state, andcan perform substitutions of stimuli generated by the gaming controller115, and/or speech commands received by microphone of the headset 114.

In one embodiment, the AMS application can be configured in step 719 toretrieve a profile that provides substitute stimuli for replacingcertain stimuli generated by accessories. The associations recorded inthe profile can be venue independent. In another embodiment, the AMSapplication can retrieve a combination of profiles, where one or moreprofiles provide substitute stimuli that are venue dependent and one ormore other profiles provide substitute stimuli that are venueindependent.

The AMS application can monitor in step 720 stimulations generated bythe accessories coupled to the gaming console 206. The stimulations canbe generated by the gamer by manipulating the gaming controller 115,and/or by generating speech commands detected by a microphone of theheadset 114. If a stimulation is detected at step 720, the AMSapplication can determine in step 722 whether to forward the detectedstimulation(s) to an Operating System (OS) of the gaming console 206 orthe gaming application directly without substitutions. Thisdetermination can be made by comparing the detected stimulation(s) tocorresponding associations in one or more profiles retrieved by the AMSapplication. If the detected stimulation(s) match the associations, thenthe AMS application proceeds to step 740 where it retrieves substitutestimulation(s) in the profile(s). In step 742, the AMS application cansubstitute the detected stimulation(s) with the substitute stimulationsin the profile(s).

In one embodiment, the AMS application can track in step 744 thesubstitute stimulations by updating the stimulations with a uniqueidentifier such as a globally unique identifier (GUID). In thisembodiment, the AMS application can also add a time stamp to eachsubstitute stimulation to track when the substitution was performed. Inanother embodiment, the AMS application can track each substitutestimulation according to its order of submission to the gamingapplication. For instance, sequence numbers can be generated for thesubstitute stimulations to track the order in which they were submittedto the gaming application. In this embodiment, the substitutestimulations do not need to be updated with sequence numbers oridentifiers so long as the order of gaming action results submitted bythe gaming application to the AMS application remain in the same orderas the substitute stimulations were originally submitted.

For example, if a first stimulation sent to the gaming application bythe AMS application is a command to shoot, and a second stimulation sentto the gaming application is a command to shoot again, then so long asthe gaming application provides a first a game action result for thefirst shot, followed by a game action result for the second shot, thenthe substitute stimulations will not require updating with sequencenumbers since the game action results are reported in the order that thestimulations were sent. If on the other hand, the game action resultscan be submitted out of order, then updating the stimulations withsequence numbers or another suitable identifier would be required toenable the AMS application to properly track and correlate stimulationsand corresponding gaming action results.

Referring back to step 722, if the detected stimulation(s) do not matchan association in the profile(s), then the AMS application proceeds toone of steps 744 or 746 in order to track the stimulations of theaccessory as described above. In another embodiment, tracking oforiginal stimulations or substitute stimulations can be bypassed byskipping steps 744 or 746 and proceeding to step 734.

Once the stimulations received in step 720 have been substituted withother stimulations at step 742 responsive to a detected association, ormaintained unchanged responsive to detecting no association withsubstitute stimuli, and (optionally) the AMS application has chosen aproper tracking methodology for correlating gaming action results withstimulations, the AMS application can proceed to step 748 where itsupplies to the OS of the computing device 206 a gaming action (i.e.,one or more stimulations). The gaming action supplied to the OS at step748 can be the unadulterated “original” gaming action of step 720, or analternative gaming action generated by steps 744 or 746. At step 734,the OS determines whether to invoke in step 736 a software applicationidentified in the stimulation(s) (e.g., gamer says “turn on team chat”,which invokes a chat application), whether to forward the receivedstimulation(s) to the gaming software application in step 738, orcombinations thereof. Step 734 may also represent a bypass of the OSwhereby stimuli signals are directed to a software application of eithersteps 736 or 738.

Contemporaneous to the embodiments described above, the AMS applicationcan monitor in step 750 for game action results supplied by the gamingapplication via API messages previously described. For instance, supposethe stimulation sent to the gaming application in step 738 is a commandto shoot a pistol. The gaming application can determine that the shotfired resulted in a miss of a target or a hit. The gaming applicationcan respond with a message which is submitted by way of the API to theAMS application that indicates the shot fired resulted in a miss or ahit. If IDs such as GUIDs were sent with each stimulation, the gamingapplication can submit game action results with their corresponding GUIDto enable the AMS application to correlate the gaming action resultswith stimulations having the same GUID.

For example, if the command to shoot included the ID “1234”, then thegame action result indicating a miss will include the ID “1234”,enabling the AMS application in step 752 to correlate the game actionresult to the stimulation having the same ID. If on other hand, theorder of game action results can be maintained consistent with the orderof the stimulations, then the AMS application can correlate in step 754stimulations with game action results by the order in which stimulationwere submitted and the order in which game action results are received.In step 756, the AMS application can catalogue stimulations and gameaction results. In another embodiment, the AMS application can beadapted to catalogue the stimulations in step 760. In this embodiment,step 760 can be performed as an alternative to steps 750 through 756. Inanother embodiment, step 760 can be performed in combination with steps750 through 756 in order to generate a catalogue of stimulations, and acatalogue for gaming action results correlated to the stimulations.

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate embodiments of a system with a correspondingcommunication flow diagram for correlating stimulations and gamingaction results. In this illustration a user clicks the left button 119of the gaming controller 115. The gaming controller 115 can includefirmware (or circuitry), which creates an event as depicted by event 2in FIG. 8. The button depression and the event creation are depicted inFIG. 9 as steps 902 and 904. In step 904, the firmware of the gamingcontroller 115 can, for example, generate an event type “left button#3”, and a unique GUID with a time stamp which is submitted to the AMSapplication. Referring back to FIG. 8, the AMS application cataloguesevent 3, and if a substitute stimulation has been predefined, remaps theevent according to the substitution. The remapped event is thentransmitted to the gaming application at event 4. Event 3 of FIG. 8 isdepicted as step 906 in FIG. 9. In this illustration, the AMSapplication substitutes the left button #3 depression stimulus with a“keyboard ‘F’” depression which can be interpreted by the gamingapplication as a fire command. The AMS application in this illustrationcontinues to use the same GUID but substitutes the time stamp foranother time stamp to identify when the substitution took place.

Referring back to event 4, the gaming application processes the eventand sends back at event 5 a game action result to the AMS applicationwhich is processed by the AMS application at event 6. The AMSapplication then submits the results to the accessory at event 7. Events4 and 5 are depicted as step 908 in FIG. 9. In this step, the gamingapplication processes “F” as an action to fire the gamer's gun, and thendetermines from the action the result from logistical gaming resultsgenerated by the gaming application. In the present illustration, theaction of firing resulted in a hit. The gaming application submits tothe AMS application the result type “Hit” with a new time stamp, whileutilizing the same GUID for tracking purposes. At step 910, the AMSapplication correlates the stimulation “left button #3 (and/or thesubstitute stimulation keyboard “F”) to the game result “Hit” andcatalogues them in memory. The AMS application then submits to theaccessory (e.g., gaming controller 115) in step 910 the game actionresults “Hit” with the same GUID, and a new time stamp indicating whenthe result was received. Upon receiving the message from the AMSapplication, the accessory in step 912 processes the “Hit” by assertinga red LED on the accessory (e.g., left button 119 illuminates in red orother LED of the gaming controller 115 illuminates in red) to indicate ahit. Other notification notices can be used such as another color forthe LED to indicate misses, a specific sound for a hit, or kill, avibration or other suitable technique for notifying the gamer of thegame action result.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments of thesubject disclosure can be modified, reduced, or enhanced withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims described below. For example, theAMS application can be executed from an accessory 115 or computingdevice 206 to perform the embodiments described in the subjectdisclosure. The AMS application can also be operated from a remoteserver (“cloud services”). In yet another embodiment, functions of theAMS application can be distributed between devices. In yet anotherembodiment, the AMS application can be configured to track theperformance of a gamer and adapt a threshold as the gamer improves ordeclines in performance.

For instance, as a gamer's performance improves with a particular gamingaction, the threshold associated with the gaming action can be adaptedto be less sensitive in detecting an over usage state. Similarly, thesensitivity of the threshold can be increased to promptly identify anover usage state of a gaming action if the gamer's performance declinesas a result of an over usage of the gaming action. Additionally, the AMSapplication can be adapted to add gaming actions to an exclusion tablewhen the gamer's performance substantially improves as a result of usingthe gaming action being excluded. The exclusion table can also bechanged by the AMS application by removing a gaming action from theexclusion table responsive to its excessive use causing a decline in agamer's performance.

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 1000 utilized inthe subject disclosure. Method 1000 can begin at step 1001 where one ormore actuation profiles are generated. Referring back to FIGS. 3A-3C, auser can associate a button 304 with one or more actuation thresholds.For example, a button 304 can be associated with a first actuation point305B at 3 mm of displacement (see reference 307A) measured from a pointof rest 305A of the button 304 (i.e., undepressed button 304). Thebutton 304 can also be associated with a second actuation point 305C at7 mm of displacement (see reference 307B) measured from the point ofrest 305A of the button 304. It will be appreciated that more or feweractuation points can be associated with the button 304. It will befurther appreciated one or more buttons 304 can be configured with oneor more corresponding actuation points as described above.

A display device (e.g., LED—not shown) can be included in the accessory(e.g., keyboard 312) from which one or more buttons 304 are beingconfigured with one or more actuation points as described above.Alternatively, the computing device 310 can be used as a display. Thedisplay at either the accessory or the computing device can be used topresent a displacement of the button 304 as it is being depressed basedon signals received from sensor 302. The displacement distance 307 canbe shown via the display as a percentage of displacement as illustratedin FIG. 3C and/or as a displacement in distance represented by one ormore units of measure (e.g., millimeter, inches, etc.). A user canrecord via the AMS one or more displacement distances as one or morecorresponding actuation point settings, which the AMS can be configuredto store in an actuation profile. For example, a user can instruct theAMS that a button 304 (e.g., the letter “W” in a QWERTY keyboard) willbe associated with two actuation points 305B and 305C as shown in FIG.3A. In other embodiments, the user can instruct the AMS that severalbuttons (e.g., all buttons or a subset of buttons) will be associatedwith the same two actuation points 305B and 305C illustrated in FIG. 3A.

In an embodiment, the actuation profile(s) generated at step 1001 can beassociated with different software applications and can be furtherconfigured with substitute stimuli as described in FIG. 7 (e.g., seesteps 722, 740-742). For example, a first actuation profile having firstactuation point(s) can be associated with a video game, while a secondactuation profile having second actuation point(s) that differ from thefirst actuation point(s) can be associated with an office applicationsuite (e.g., text editor, drawings editor, spreadsheet editor, etc.).The one or more first actuation points of the first actuation profilecan be associated with one or more buttons of an accessory (e.g.,letters “W” and “S”), while the one or more second actuation points ofthe second actuation profile can be associated with the same buttons,other buttons, or across all buttons of the accessory.

The use of a first actuation profile for playing a video game and asecond actuation profile when using an office application suite can beuseful to users when such software applications are controlled by buttondepressions of the same accessory. For example, suppose the firstactuation profile is configured with a single actuation point 305B (at 3mm), while the second actuation profile is configured with a singleactuation point 305C (at 7 mm). In this configuration, the buttons ofthe accessory associated with the first actuation profile will invoke anactuation with less displacement resulting in buttons with highersensitivity while playing a video game than when the same or differentbuttons of the accessory are associated with the second actuationprofile at a lower sensitivity (i.e., requiring more displacement at 7mm) while utilizing an office application suite (e.g., a spreadsheetprogram). Associating one or more actuation profiles based on thesoftware application enables users to use the same accessory acrossdifferent software applications with differing actuation sensitivitylevels that depend on the software application in initiated by the user.

When actuation profile(s) are generated at step 1001, the user canassociate each actuation profile with one or more corresponding softwareapplications. With each actuation profile identifying at least onesoftware application, the AMS can be configured to automatically selectone or more actuation profiles based on a user selection of a softwareapplication and associate the one or more selected actuation profileswith a corresponding one or more inputs of one or more accessories whilethe software application is in use. When the user selects a differentsoftware application, the AMS can be configured to automatically selectone or more other actuation profiles based on the selected softwareapplication and associate them with the same one or more accessories orother accessory(ies) while the software application is in use.Alternatively, the AMS can prompt the user to select an actuationprofile from a list of actuation profiles when a user selects a newsoftware application, or the user can preemptively request an actuationprofile from a list of actuation profiles without being prompted by theAMS.

The first actuation profile can be further configured with associationsof substitute stimuli. For example, assume the first action profile isassociated with the button 304 identified by the letter “W” of theaccessory. In this embodiment, the first actuation point 305B can beassociated with a first stimulus to invoke a first game action when thebutton 304 is depressed and crosses the first actuation point 305B butdoes not cross the second actuation point 305C (i.e., displacement isgreater than 307A but less than 307B). Further assume the secondactuation point 305C is associated with a second stimulus to invoke asecond game action when the button 304 is depressed and crosses thesecond actuation point 305C (i.e., displacement is greater than 307B).Thus, when the button 304 identified by the letter “W” is depressed by adisplacement distance greater than 307A but less than 307B, the AMS willsubmit the first stimulus to the video game to invoke the first gamingaction. Similarly, when the button 304 is depressed by a displacementdistance greater than 307B, the AMS will submit the second stimulus tothe video game to invoke the second gaming action.

It will be appreciated that the AMS can be programmed to wait untildisplacement of the button 304 ceases before invoking a first actuationbased on a crossing of the first actuation point 305B or invoking asecond actuation based on a crossing of the second actuation point 305C.For example, the AMS can be configured to determine which actuationpoint is crossed when the displacement of the button 304 no longerincreases for a period of time (e.g., X microseconds), and/or whendisplacement of the button 304 begins to decrease based on a release ofthe button 304. Given that crossing the second actuation point 305Cmeans the first actuation point 305B is also crossed, the AMS can beconfigured to generate only the second stimulus (if a substitution isassociated with the second actuation point 305C) or the actual inputsignal associated with the button 304 (e.g., ASCII code for “W”) whenthe displacement of the button 304 no longer increases for Xmicroseconds and the displacement is greater than 307B, and/or whendisplacement of the button 304 begins to decrease based on a release ofthe button 304 at a displacement distance above 307B. Similarly, the AMScan be configured to generate only the first stimulus (if a substitutionis associated with the first actuation point 305B) or the actual inputsignal associated with the button 304 (e.g., ASCII code for “W”) whenthe displacement of the button 304 no longer increases for Xmicroseconds and the displacement is greater than 307A but less than307B, and/or when displacement of the button 304 begins to decreasebased on a release of the button 304 at a displacement distance isgreater than 307A but less than 307B.

It will be appreciated that the actuation points of the second actuationprofile can also be associated with substitute stimuli that can differfrom the substitute stimuli used in the first actuation profile. Inother embodiments, the first and second actuation profiles can beconfigured with one or more buttons associated with one or morecorresponding actuation points and substitute stimuli, while one or moreother buttons are associated with the same or other one or moreactuation points with no substitute stimuli. In the foregoingembodiments, reference is made to buttons of an accessory that can beassociated with one or more actuation points of an actuation profile. Itwill be appreciated that one or more actuation points in an actuationprofile as described above can be associated with any type of accessoryinput (joystick, mouse button, gaming controller buttons or joysticks,smartphone tactile or touch-sensitive button, etc.) that can supply avariable signal that correlates to a range of use of the accessoryinput.

Once the actuation profiles are generated at step 1001 as describedabove, the AMS can be configured to begin using one or more actuationprofiles that are selected according to its association with a videogame initiated by the user. The initial one or more actuation profilescan each be configured with one or more actuation points that can beassociated with one or more corresponding inputs of one or moreaccessories being used by the user/gamer to play the video game. At step1002, the AMS can be configured to monitor a triggering event in thevideo game.

In one embodiment, a triggering event can occur when an avatar beingcontrolled by the gamer begins to use a particular type of gear such asa weapon, a vehicle, a holster, or bag with ammunition or weaponry, ashield, an armor, or other type of gear that can be used by the avatarto perform a function in the video game. In another embodiment, atriggering event can occur when there is a change in health of theavatar (e.g., loss of health, regaining health, etc.). In yet anotherembodiment, a triggering event can occur based on an environmentcondition experienced by the avatar (e.g., avatar falls or jumps intowater, avatar enters a building, it begins to rain, it gets dark,terrain changes from a paved road to an unpaved road, change in urban torural setting, etc.). In another embodiment, a triggering event canoccur during transitional events such as a change in gear, a change inenvironment, a change in a teammate's health, etc. In yet anotherembodiment, a triggering event can occur when speech is detected (e.g.,speech from the user, speech from a teammate, etc.). In anotherembodiment, a triggering event can occur when sound produced by thevideo game is detected (e.g., an explosion, footsteps, etc.).

It will be appreciated that a triggering event can represent any statein a video game that is detectable. It will be further appreciated thatthe AMS can be configured to monitor one or more of the foregoingtriggering events singly or in any combinations thereof.

Triggering events can be monitored at steps 1002 by the AMS byperforming image and/or audio processing of images and audio produced bythe video game, gaming results provided by the video game as describedabove in relation to FIGS. 8-9, and/or speech and/or sounds produced bya gamer and/or his/her teammate(s). As part of the generation processdescribed at step 1001, each of the actuation profiles generated at step1001 can also be associated with a triggering event. At steps 1002 and1004 the AMS can be configured to monitor a plurality of triggeringevents, each triggering event associated with a different one of theactuation profiles generated at step 1001. If one or more triggeringevents are not detected at step 1004, the AMS continues monitoring forany one of the plurality triggering events at step 1002. If one or moretriggering events are detected at step 1004, the AMS can proceed toobtain at step 1006 the one or more actuation profiles associated withthe one or more triggering events.

Once the one or more actuation profiles have been obtained at step 1006,at step 1008 the AMS can associate each of the one or more actuationprofiles with one or more corresponding inputs of the accessory(ies).For example, assume there are two actuation profiles obtained for twodetected triggering events. The one or more actuation points of a firstactuation profile can be associated with a joystick of a gamingcontroller being used by the gamer. The one or more actuation points ofthe second actuation profile can be associated with one or more buttonson the same gaming controller. It will be appreciated that the one ormore actuation profiles obtained at step 1006 can also be associated atstep 1008 with inputs of differing accessories. For example, the one ormore actuation points of a first actuation profile can be associatedwith one or more keys of a keyboard, while the one or more actuationpoints of a second actuation profile can be associated with one or morebuttons of a mouse. In this illustration the one or more keys and theone or more mouse buttons assigned to one or more correspondingactuation points from the first and second actuation profiles,respectively, can be used to control different aspects of the videogame.

Once the associations have been completed at step 1008, the AMS canprocess signals received from input(s) of the accessory(ies). Forexample, a first signal received from a “S” key on a keyboard serving asan accessory for controlling the video game can indicate, according tothe strength of the signal, a range of use (e.g., displacement ofdepression) of the “S” key. A second signal received from a “W” key onthe keyboard can indicate, according to the strength of the signal, arange of use (e.g., displacement of depression) of the “W” key. A thirdsignal received from a left button of a mouse serving as anotheraccessory for controlling the video game can indicate, according to thestrength of the signal, a range of use (e.g., displacement ofdepression) of the left mouse button. For touch sensitive devices (e.g.,touch-screen display, touch-sensitive surfaces of a mouse pad, pressuresensitive sensing devices, etc.), that can detect displacement as afunction of surface area of a finger (or multiple fingers) or pressureapplied by the finger (or multiple fingers), can also produce signalswhich can be received by the AMS to identify a range of use of input(s)of such devices.

A measure of range of use of an input can be determined from thestrength of a signal produced by the input which the AMS can translateinto a displacement distance based on a depression range of the input,or a detectable surface area or a level of pressure applied byfinger(s). Such a measure of range of use of one or more inputs can becompared at step 1012 to one or more actuation thresholds of one or morecorresponding actuation profiles associated with the one or more inputsof the accessory(ies) that generated the one or more signals at step1010. If the actuation threshold(s) are not exceeded at step 1014, theAMS can proceed to steps 1010-1014 and thereby continue monitoring forone or more actuations by the one or more inputs of the accessory(ies).If at step 1014 the AMS detects that one or more actuation thresholdshave been exceeded, the AMS can proceed to step 1016 to generate one ormore actuation states. When a range of use of an input of the one ormore input(s) of the accessory(ies) exceeds more than one actuationthreshold assigned to the input, the AMS can be configured to determinewhich actuation point is crossed when the range of use of the input nolonger increases for a period of time (e.g., X microseconds), and/orwhen the range of use of the input begins to decrease based on adiscontinuation of use of the input.

When an input of the one or more inputs exceeds more than one actuationthreshold, the actuation threshold with the greatest range of use canserve as the actuation state generated at step 1016. For example,referring back to FIG. 3A, if the range of use of an input such asbutton 304 exceeds actuation threshold 305C (i.e., greater thandisplacement 307B), then the actuation state generated at step 1016would relate to actuation threshold 305C and not 305B. If, however, therange of use of the button 304 exceeds actuation threshold 305B but not305C (i.e., greater than displacement 307A and less than displacement307B), then the actuation state generated at step 1016 would relate toactuation threshold 305B and not 305C.

At step 1016 the actuation state(s) can include data relating to thecorresponding input(s) that were actuated and the range of use exceedingthe corresponding actuation threshold(s). The actuation state can alsoinclude data for one or more substitute stimuli to replace the originalinformation generated by the input(s). For example, an ASCII charactergenerated from a depression of a “W” key on an accessory such as akeyboard that crosses a first actuation threshold 305B but not thesecond actuation threshold 305C may be substituted with one or moresubstitute stimuli that cause one or more gaming actions that differfrom one or more gaming actions that would occur by sending to the videogame the ASCII character corresponding to the “W” key or a signalrepresentative of the “W” key. It will be appreciated that eachactuation threshold assigned to an input of the accessory(ies) may ormay not be associated with one or more substitute stimuli. For example,the AMS can be configured to associate the first actuation threshold305B shown in FIG. 3A with one or more substitute stimuli, while notassociating the second actuation threshold 305C with a substitutestimulus or stimuli and instead including in the data of the actuationstate the raw information of the input (e.g., ASCII character orrepresentative signal). Once the actuation state is generated at step1016, the data associated with the actuation state can be sent in wholeor in part by the AMS at step 1018 to the video game for processing. Thedata provided to the video game can include substitute stimuli or theunadulterated value or signal associated with the input depending onwhether the actuation threshold that caused the actuation of the inputhas been assigned to one or more substitute stimuli.

At step 1020, the AMS can determine whether adjustment of one or more ofthe actuation profiles is necessary. At this step, the AMS can make thisdecision based on gaming results received from the video game that arebased on the gaming action that occurred as a result the data sent tothe video game at step 1018, or gaming results derived from image and/oraudio processing by the AMS (or a server) of the images and/or audioproduced by the video game. The AMS can, for example, compare the gamingresults with an objective that advances the gamer's chances to gain anadvantage or win the game (e.g., a hit on an opponent avatar, loss ofhealth of the opponent avatar, etc.). The AMS can also review thefrequency of use of the input(s). For electro-mechanical input(s) (e.g.,buttons, joysticks, etc.) or touch-sensitive inputs (e.g., touch-screen,pressure sensitive devices, etc.), the AMS can also analyze adisplacement rate of depression, displacement distance of theseinput(s), and/or surface area of finger placement and/or pressureapplied thereby to determine if the input(s) are being depressed and/orpressed too quickly, too far, not far enough, or combinations thereof.

The AMS can singly or in combination be configured to analyze gamingresults and frequency of use of the input(s) to determine if one or moreof the actuation thresholds should be adjusted to enable the player toperform better. This analysis can be performed in real-time while theuser is engaged in playing the video game or as a postmortem analysis ofinformation gathered by the AMS during the video game based on collectedgaming results and frequency of use of the inputs. If an adjustment isdeemed necessary (e.g., the AMS determines player has had too manymisses due to a slowness or excess speed in actuation of a particularactuation threshold), the AMS can proceed to step 1022 where it canadjust one or more actuation thresholds of one or more actuationprofiles. The AMS can inform the player of these adjustments and/orrequest approval for these adjustments via display prompts or othernotification means.

If an adjustment of one or more of the actuation profiles is not deemednecessary at step 1020, the AMS can proceed to step 1024 where itdetermines whether the user has initiated a new software application(e.g., initiated editor of an office application suite). If a newsoftware application has not been initiated, the AMS can proceed to step1002 where it continues to monitor new triggering events in the videogame. If a new software application is detected at step 1024, the AMSobtains one or more new actuation profiles associated with the newsoftware application and proceeds to step 1008 to perform theassociation of the new one or more actuation profiles with the input(s)of the accessory(ies) controlling the new software application andproceeds to subsequent steps of method 1000 as described earlier.

It will be appreciated that method 1000 can be performed in whole or inpart by one or more accessories controlling the video game and/or othersoftware applications, a computing device executing the video gameand/or other software applications, or any combination thereof. It willbe further appreciated that the AMS application can be configured to useartificial intelligence or machine learning algorithms to performactuation profile updates and/or other aspects of method 1000.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 10, itis to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter isnot limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 1100 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as an accessory, computing device or combinationsthereof. In some embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., usinga network 1126) to other machines. In a networked deployment, themachine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client user machinein a server-client user network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 1100 may include a processor (or controller) 1102(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit(GPU, or both), a main memory 1104 and a static memory 1106, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 1108. The computer system 1100 mayfurther include a display unit 1110 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a flat panel, or a solid-state display). The computer system 1100may include an input device 1112 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 1114 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 1116, a signal generationdevice 1118 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 1120. In distributed environments, the embodiments described inthe subject disclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units1110 controlled by two or more computer systems 1100. In thisconfiguration, presentations described by the subject disclosure may inpart be shown in a first of the display units 1110, while the remainingportion is presented in a second of the display units 1110.

The disk drive unit 1116 may include a tangible computer-readablestorage medium 1122 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions(e.g., software 1124) embodying any one or more of the methods orfunctions described herein, including those methods illustrated above.The instructions 1124 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 1104, the static memory 1106, and/or within theprocessor 1102 during execution thereof by the computer system 1100. Themain memory 1104 and the processor 1102 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable gate array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) including, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 1122 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes without limitation memories, drives,devices and anything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi, Zigbee®), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 1100.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,can be used in the subject disclosure. In one or more embodiments,features that are positively recited can also be excluded from theembodiment with or without replacement by another component or step. Thesteps or functions described with respect to the exemplary processes ormethods can be performed in any order. The steps or functions describedwith respect to the exemplary processes or methods can be performedalone or in combination with other steps or functions (from otherembodiments or from other steps that have not been described).

Less than all of the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order or functionunless expressly stated so. The use of the terms first, second, thirdand so forth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components,steps or functions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, oneor more devices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be multiple processors,which can include distributed processors or parallel processors in asingle machine or multiple machines. The processor can be used insupporting a virtual processing environment. The virtual processingenvironment may support one or more virtual machines representingcomputers, servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualmachines, components such as microprocessors and storage devices may bevirtualized or logically represented. The processor can include a statemachine, application specific integrated circuit, and/or programmablegate array including a Field PGA. In one or more embodiments, when aprocessor executes instructions to perform “operations”, this caninclude the processor performing the operations directly and/orfacilitating, directing, or cooperating with another device or componentto perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: associating, by a systemincluding a processor, a first actuation profile with a plurality ofbuttons of an accessory device, wherein the first actuation profileincludes a first plurality of first actuation thresholds associated withthe plurality of buttons of the accessory device; presenting, by thesystem, a second actuation threshold of a second plurality of secondactuation thresholds being configured according to user-generated input;assigning, by the system, the second actuation threshold to a secondactuation profile; associating, by the system, the second actuationprofile with the plurality of buttons of the accessory device, whereinthe second actuation profile includes a second plurality of secondactuation thresholds associated with the plurality of buttons of theaccessory device; receiving, by the system, a plurality of signals froma plurality of sensors of the plurality of buttons of the accessorydevice indicating a plurality of depression ranges of the plurality ofbuttons; comparing, by the system, the plurality of depression ranges tothe plurality of first actuation thresholds of the first actuationprofile and to the plurality of second actuation thresholds of thesecond actuation profile; generating, by the system, a first actuationstate when a first depression range of the plurality of depressionranges exceeds a first actuation threshold of the plurality of firstactuation thresholds; and generating, by the system, a second actuationstate when a second depression range of the plurality of depressionranges exceeds the second actuation threshold of the plurality of secondactuation thresholds, wherein the second depression range of theplurality of depression ranges that triggers the second actuation stateexceeds the first depression range of the plurality of depression rangesthat triggers the first actuation state.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising responsive to detecting a triggering event, selectingaccording to the triggering event, by the system, the first actuationprofile, the second actuation profile, or a combination thereof.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising monitoring, by the system, thetriggering event during a gaming session of a video game.
 4. The methodof claim 2, wherein the triggering event is an initiation of a softwareapplication controllable by the accessory device.
 5. The method of claim2, wherein the triggering event is a transition between detectablestates in a video game, a sound in the video game, or any combinationthereof.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the triggering event isassociated with an avatar in a video game.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the triggering event is a change in health of the avatar,detected speech associated with the avatar, an environment conditionencountered by the avatar, or any combination thereof.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising sending, by the system, first dataassociated with the first actuation state to a computing deviceexecuting a video game, wherein the first data causes a first gamingaction performed by the video game.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising sending, by the system, second data associated with thesecond actuation state to the computing device executing the video game,wherein the second data causes a second gaming action performed by thevideo game.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first gaming actiondiffers from the second gaming action.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein the display is located at the accessory device, at the system,or at a computing device executing a video game.
 12. The method of claim1, further comprising: measuring a displacement rate of depression of afirst button of the plurality of buttons of the accessory device; andadjusting a first actuation threshold of the first plurality of firstactuation thresholds of the first actuation profile based on thedisplacement rate of depression of the first button resulting in anupdated first actuation profile.
 13. A machine-readable storage device,comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing theinstructions, a processor performs operations, the operationscomprising: presenting a second actuation threshold of a secondplurality of second actuation thresholds being configured according touser-generated input; assigning the second actuation threshold to asecond actuation profile; receiving a plurality of signals from aplurality of sensors of a plurality of buttons of an accessory deviceindicating a plurality of depression ranges of the plurality of buttons;comparing the plurality of depression ranges to a plurality of firstactuation thresholds associated with the plurality of buttons of theaccessory device according to a first actuation profile and to aplurality of second actuation thresholds associated with the pluralityof buttons of the accessory device according to the second actuationprofile; generating a first actuation state when a first depressionrange of the plurality of depression ranges exceeds a first actuationthreshold of the plurality of first actuation thresholds; and generatinga second actuation state when a second depression range of the pluralityof depression ranges exceeds the second actuation threshold of theplurality of second actuation thresholds, wherein the second depressionrange of the plurality of depression ranges that triggers the secondactuation state exceeds the first depression range of the plurality ofdepression ranges that triggers the first actuation state.
 14. Themachine-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the operationsfurther comprise associating the first actuation profile with theplurality of buttons of the accessory device.
 15. The machine-readablestorage device of claim 13, wherein the operations further compriseassociating the second actuation profile with the plurality of buttonsof the accessory device.
 16. The machine-readable storage device ofclaim 13, wherein the operations further comprise responsive todetecting a triggering event, selecting according to the triggeringevent the first actuation profile, the second actuation profile, or acombination thereof.
 17. The machine-readable storage device of claim16, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring the triggeringevent during a gaming session of a video game.
 18. An accessory,comprising: an input; a sensor; a memory to store instructions; and aprocessor coupled to the memory and the sensor, wherein responsive toexecuting the instructions, the processor performs operationscomprising: presenting a second actuation threshold of a secondplurality of second actuation thresholds being configured according touser-generated input; assigning the second actuation threshold to asecond actuation profile; configuring the sensor according to one ormore first actuation thresholds of a first actuation profile andaccording to one or more second actuation thresholds of the secondactuation profile; receiving, from the sensor, a signal indicating arange of use of the input; comparing the range of use of the input tothe one or more first actuation thresholds of the first actuationprofile and to the one or more second actuation thresholds of the secondactuation profile; generating a first actuation state when the range ofuse of the input exceeds a first actuation threshold of the one or morefirst actuation thresholds; and generating a second actuation state whenthe range of use of the input exceeds the second actuation threshold ofthe one or more second actuation thresholds, wherein a second range ofuse of the input that triggers the second actuation state exceeds afirst range of use of the input that triggers the first actuation state.19. The accessory of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprisesreceiving the first actuation profile comprising the one or more firstactuation thresholds responsive to a detection of a triggering eventduring a gaming session of a video game.
 20. The accessory of claim 18,wherein the operations further comprise sending the first actuationstate to a system that generates, according to the first actuationstate, a game action directed to a computing device executing a videogame, and wherein the game action comprises a substitute stimulus thatcauses an action in the video game.